Then came August 25 2009. In all honesty, when we were drawn away at West Ham in the Carling Cup, I was thinking that the flashing hooligan-ometer would have gone off in the corridors of power. The Football League or the FA, surely one of them would insist the game was played behind closed doors, or on the Isle of Man, or Reykjavik, or the fucking moon. Or at least a 12.00pm kick-off on a Sunday with a ring of steel around it, surely! Given the history, surely they were aware this was a battle waiting to happen.
After all, it is well documented – we hate each other. We had not played each other for over four years. It was a big Cup game. We didn’t need Nostradamus – the ball came out the bag and already I was singing that Kaiser Chiefs song ‘I Predict a Riot’.
It just shows what little grasp the suits have of the clubs, their histories and the football fans that follow them. This was easily avoidable. Then the (over)reaction afterwards from everyone – the Government, Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe, the FA, the Premier League, the Football League, the press, the clubs and old Uncle Tom Cobbly and all. ‘Oh what a disgrace!’ ‘The shame!’ ‘Football tarnished!’ ‘A return to the bad old days!’
Bear in mind, of course, these same halfwits had the power to prevent this event, instead of reacting once it had kicked off. All they cared about, of course, was Team England’s bid to win the 2018 World Cup. Half a brain between them and they would have known that the planning for this started the minute that ball for Millwall came out of the bag after West Ham’s. Phones were going off all over south-east London, both Millwall and West Ham mobiles.
Hundreds went to the stadium without tickets. Hundreds were outside the ground after kick-off. They knew they were not going to get in. West Ham gave us 2,300. We took well over 3,000 fans there. Some estimated even more.
What for? Come on, board room blazers! What for? You honestly could not see this coming? It was totally foreseeable. Just as predictable was the reaction.
‘Ban those thugs for life.’
‘The punishment should fit the crime.’
‘We do not want hooliganism to raise its ugly head again.’
‘Banning them is a badge of honour for this scum.’
‘They won’t care about bans and fines.’
‘We don’t want a minority wrecking football for all.’
Oh, they all screamed their piece. So none of them, not one (‘I predict a riot’) nobody amongst all the suits (‘I predict a riot’), in all the relevant authorities, never thought for a moment … ‘I predict a riot’! Me? I sang it for fucking days.
Poor little Gianfranco Zola. ‘I have never seen anything like this,’ he said. You want to get down The Den more, Franco. Hooliganism has never left. Did those in charge really believe they had conquered the hooligan element? Get wise. How do you totally conquer it? It is impossible!
Millwall and West Ham, to be fair, do just about all they can to prevent it. But … BUT … when 1,000 cocaine-charged, booze-fuelled, angry, antagonised hooligans face 1,000 cocaine-charged, booze-fuelled, angry, antagonised hooligans with 100 years of vicious, brutal history, do you honestly think a 60-year-old steward in a hi-vis jacket and a 19-year-old policeman straight out of the training academy are going to stop them from clashing?
Oh, the riot I predicted occurred. In all honesty, it could have been much worse. West Ham could have shown up at the meet. Or it could have been at The Den. Then everyone in power after their anticipated reactions were hoping Sepp Blatter’s television was on the blink. ‘Let’s hope he didn’t see any of the pictures and will still vote for England’s World Cup bid.’
So I guess the police sifted through hours and hours of CCTV footage to ‘nail the yobs’ who ‘fought like animals’ in the planned battle. Sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe unsurprisingly called it ‘a disgrace to the game … Football is the loser … All English fans now travelling abroad will be faced with heavy-handed tactics.’ We already were. Cliché city and all utterly predictable. Just like the riot itself.
Of course, the sweetest headline of all for us Millwall boys: ‘WE’LL SHUT YOU DOWN – FA THREAT TO CLOSE UPTON PARK AFTER NIGHT OF SHAME’. Mission accomplished. The authorities, of course, always launch a ‘full-scale investigation’ don’t they? All the time, the effort and money poured into that particular investigation could have been avoided so easily. The trouble inside and outside, before, during and after, could have been avoided. I dare say the powers that be had the authority to shut the ground, fine them and sling them out of the competition.
One FA spokesman said, ‘We absolutely condemn all the disorder that has occurred at Upton Park. We will be working with all parties, the police and clubs to establish the facts surrounding these events. Every sanction is available.’ No shit. West Ham said they would ban those involved. The chief executive Scott Duxbury said, ‘We will leave no stone unturned in identifying the perpetrators, rooting them out and then taking the proper action from both the police point of view and the clubs.’ Good luck in finding them, Scott! We have been looking for them for 20 years. The ICF came back for one last hoo-hah. Or is this the start of something big again?
Needless to say, the biggest headlines all carried a similar message: ‘WE WON’T LET THE HOOLIGANS RUIN OUR WORLD CUP BID.’ The corporate interest rules the game these days. A bid spokesman said, ‘England 2018 shares the FA’s stance in condemning the disorder surrounding Tuesday’s fixture.’ Everyone has got to throw their tuppenceworth in. ‘The scenes were regrettable but an isolated example of a culture that the football community has worked tirelessly to eradicate from our game. It is extremely disappointing that the mindless actions of a tiny minority have deflected from the passion and dedication that millions of genuine fans show every week for our national game.’
I just have to take umbrage a bit here – it was not mindless action. We had been planning this for ages, as had West Ham’s firm. Tiny minority? We had 2,300 tickets and another 1,000 or so outside. The vast majority were ready for a tear-up.
FA Director of Communications Adrian Bevington started banging on about how great they have been, saying, ‘We are seen as the leaders … in the way we have tackled hooliganism over the past 30 years. We receive communications from South America, FIFA, UEFA and other countries asking for advice.’
And what do your communiqués say in reply, Adrian? ‘All you have to do to eradicate the problem of hooliganism in your respective countries is bring in all-seater stadia, family zones, community work, better segregation, early kick-offs, road blocks, close all pubs and shops on match day, more stewards, banning orders, all-ticket games, exorbitant prices to turn it into a middle-class game, pass legislation to eliminate all civil liberties, massive fines to all clubs if one fan stumbles over the hoardings on to the pitch, insert CCTV cameras at all locations and, of course, 1,200 riot police at every game with batons, CS gas, plastic bullets, horses, helicopters, dogs, riot vans and impunity. And you will have it cracked. Simples. Bye.’ Something like that, is it?
‘I am not going to condemn West Ham or Millwall, certainly not at this stage, because we don’t know exactly what has been put in place.’ And just for the record, why didn’t you know what measures had been put in place for this game? Shouldn’t you know them off by heart now anyway?
‘And we know there have been huge efforts on the part of all our clubs to try to eradicate the problems and we’ve had a history of success on that. We have to make sure that the individuals concerned face such tough actions that they can’t go to football again.’
Andy Williamson, Chief Operating Officer of the Football League, who administer the Carling Cup, was equally bland and predictable. ‘We utterly deplore the violence that took place …’ Never, Andy! ‘Such behaviour has no place in the game and we will work with all the relevant authorities to ensure that those behind it are held to account.’
We can only guess what work all these relevant authorities accomplished after all the meetings they must have had before the game. I was looking forward to seeing the fruits of their labour after the game.
The only sensible voice I heard came from Football Supporters’ Federation Chief Malcolm Clarke. He argued against overreaction. ‘It is not a good start to the season and it is important a full investigation is held. But I think we must keep it in perspective … over the last 20 years, the amount of football violence has radically reduced.’ Perspective. Wise words. Hats off, Malcolm.
Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe naturally confirmed he would take whatever measures possible to ensure the scenes were not repeated. ‘We have made great progress in tackling hooliganism in this country and will not tolerate a return to the dark days of the Eighties.’ Could always bring in ID cards and rationalisation, Gerry, rehashing the old Tory policies from the Eighties.
‘I completely back the FA’s call for any person involved to be banned for life. The scenes last night were a disgrace.’ Just to reiterate here – bans mean nothing to any hooligan. They will still be milling around the pubs on their team’s derby day, if not for all the games.
Justice Secretary Jack Straw chipped in, saying, ‘We have greatly toughened the way police and stewards work. I am determined to ensure what happened here was an aberration.’
Don’t make me laugh! OK, Jack, what do you have in mind exactly? Ban the clubs? The fans? Or the game itself? You had 1,200 riot police and you could not control it. What else can you do? Honestly, if one firm wants to kick off against another firm, there is nothing – repeat, nothing – anyone can do. Combine all the authorities, FA, clubs, police, Government, Football League, stewards and every traffic warden in London. When Millwall ‘travel’ to West Ham, ‘if’ both firms want to arrange a meet and seriously want to front each other, they will.
So what did the police, football authorities and the clubs do to prevent the firms clashing for the first game against each other in over four years? We know what did not happen – behind closed doors, early kick off, neutral ground, ban away fans. They put 1,200 riot police on duty, combined with three times the normal amount of mounted police. Obviously learnt nothing from the fireworks at Birmingham in 2002. Their chief wig, Met Police Superintendent Steve Wisbey said, ‘Police worked closely with West Ham Football Club, British Transport Police and the local authorities to minimise disorder.’ A raging success on that front, Steve – congratulations. ‘Officers responded swiftly whilst missiles were being thrown as they tried to separate fans outside the ground after the match. Incidents of this nature at a match are thankfully rare but it would appear that a small number of supporters were intent on causing a confrontation.’ Stunning eh! Here is the Chief Super virtually admitting they were taken by surprise. ‘Officers responded swiftly …’ I can taste and feel his shock that ‘a small number of supporters were intent on causing a confrontation’.
So, during this ‘working closely with West Ham’, were the words ‘powder’ and ‘keg’ not used in the same sentence? What was this ‘working closely’ shit anyway? They phoned or sent a policeman round. ‘Pop into West Ham FC and phone the council. They are playing Millwall soon. Oh, remind the council fella our bins at the police station need emptying twice, not once a week. Can you bring me a curry special and a six-pack on your way back?’
West Ham were well aware of the potential for trouble. They even boarded up the Bobby Moore statue, covered it in tarpaulin and paid for a police guard around it, for fuck’s sake. They knew what was going to happen.
Of course, the official club statements in the aftermath were as predictable as the riot itself. Theirs said: ‘West Ham United continues to investigate the appalling events. Senior club officials are meeting to ensure the appropriate action is taken as swiftly as possible. Video footage, photographic evidence and witness statements are being collated to identify those responsible, while there is ongoing close liaison with all relevant parties including the Met Police and the FA. We will also assist the authorities in their investigation of the mindless violence that took place in the area surrounding the stadium.’ Nice to learn of course that it is ‘senior club officials’ and not just the tea lady and a ticket teller, having a tête-à-tête. Nice, too, West Ham have professional investigators in-house, checking and collating ‘video footage, photographic evidence and witness statements … to identify those responsible’. Nicest of all is the ubiquitous ‘close liaison with all the relevant parties’.
Naturally they insisted that every measure was taken to prevent trouble and even ‘stressed’ there was no fighting in the ground. Fucking great! Even after every measure was taken, still the riot ensued. So it is out of their control, then. Oh, and result, too. No fighting inside the ground – well, thousands were running riot outside and fighting battles for hours before, during and after the game. One poor geezer was stabbed. But that’s OK, because there was no fighting inside the ground. Three pitch invasions and stewards and police had totally lost control. But it is OK, because there was no fighting inside the ground … result.
The opening sentence from our club statement was equally as lame: ‘Any Millwall supporter identified as being involved in criminal activity relating to the events will receive an indefinite ban from the club … At the same time, we would like to thank the vast majority of the 2,300 Lions fans at the ground for supporting the team in the appropriate manner.’ Then we added smartly: ‘We also trust all aspects of planning and preparation for this match will be thoroughly investigated.’ Very fucking clever bit of pre-investigation buck-passing by us, methinks.
Really, though, unlucky for West Ham that their ball came out first. Because if our ball had come out first followed by theirs … ouch, ouch, ouch!
Police then scrawl through the Internet footage. Of course, all the ‘idiot thugs’ that turned east London into a ‘war zone’ will face life bans. The idiotic ones posted videos on YouTube. Then next home game, Old Bill sits there in the CCTV centre scanning every face in the crowd. Anyone they recognise? 20 riot police pile in and take them out, catching him completely by surprise. That is their method these days.
They think by examining all these videos, they can ‘identify the ring-leaders’. Of course they can – from West Ham. Although we had members of the firm who had not been out for years that night, unlike every other firm … We – Do – Not – Have – Ring – Leaders!
So let us just speculate for a moment. Do the police, clubs, FA and all the ‘relevant authorities’ honestly think if they got lucky and identified 20, 30 or 40 of Millwall’s top boys – slapped them all with a life ban – that is it? Problem solved? Honestly, they probably do!
Hypothetical question: Every … every member of every firm that goes to make up one big firm – Millwall – every member has a life ban; then we draw West Ham at home, sixth round of the FA Cup. Picture 2,000 hardcore hooligans all sat at home on the day of the match twiddling their thumbs, texting and phoning each other.
‘Real pity them life bans … we could have had some fun today.’
‘Yes I know, I’m just making some fairy cakes and watching on Sky.’
Get fucking real. With or without a ticket in their pockets, whether they’re allowed into the ground or barred, every single one – EVERY SINGLE ONE – would be milling round The Den drinking and preparing themselves for a major kick-off with West Ham. It has been the case since the early part of the last century and it will continue to be the case in the early part of the next century.
Football exists on rivalry; without it, there is no football. That is why so much emphasis is placed on all the derbies that are played throughout the country, Europe and the world. Take that rivalry away. Go on. Take it away. What is left? A sport with no derbies and no grudge matches. Neutrality. All opposition means the same – nothing. No big games, only games. We may as well support no one and oppose no one. A neutral sport. Who wants that?
‘Well, I just went to Watford, Birmingham and Sunderland so I’ll drive down to Southampton and see how they play tomorrow.’ Behave! Without rivalry it is nothing. Locally, nationally, or internationally. No rivalry and it is just a neutral game.
Think Celtic v Rangers; Everton v Liverpool; Real v Barcelona; Inter v AC Milan; England v Germany; England v Scotland. Right. Multiply all these by 1,000, and then do it again. You still have not got to the level of rivalry that Millwall v West Ham has. Get the picture? Could always rationalise and amalgamate. Yes, nice one, Maggie.
Another way to solve this problem? Dissolve both clubs – liquidate them, ban them and put us both out of business. Problem solved. Hmm … Millwall v West Ham at rugby, tennis, darts or fucking tiddlywinks and away we go again. It is quite simple. We hate West Ham; West Ham hate us.
Life bans and banning orders are obviously supposed to prevent hooligans from entering the grounds. They do sweet FA! Take it from someone who has served a three-year banning order. We cut our hair, sit in different seats, pull our caps that little bit lower, scarves that little bit higher and we can use someone else’s ticket. These are members of the most violent, vicious, evil, hardcore hooligan firm out there. People that are prepared to do some serious shit. Do the authorities really think they are not prepared to breach a banning order?
The answer is no. The FA even admit, ‘But if they are found, they can be arrested.’ Well there you go. If found, then arrested. Big fucking deterrent, eh? Given that we are going for a fight, that would also result in ‘if found … you can be arrested’. I wonder how many actually breached the banning order for that night. A fair few is my guess. Some were even posting messages online that they breached existing ones to go to this game. Banning orders can prevent you from travelling abroad. Our firm would have missed out on one game in our history. Crack on with your banning orders.
As the West Ham statement proved, all the clubs want these days is no fighting inside the ground. Half-a-mile away is great for them; it’s not their responsibility then. So these banning orders are not designed to prevent hooliganism. Any one that tells you otherwise is a fool or a liar. They are only designed to try and punish one hooligan by trying to prevent him from entering the ground. They are not designed to stop him from meeting the away fans at the station and coshing one over the head. Clubs know this. Everyone knows inside the ground is virtually trouble-free. Hooligans meet elsewhere now – stations or parks or pubs or wherever. Clubs know this. They do not really care about that. They are exonerated of virtually all responsibility because they have done their bit – banned you from the ground.
The Government have to be seen to be tackling it and supporting it. Why? Because even after all these years, they know hooliganism is virtually an unsolvable problem. Even after CCTV, all-ticket games, body searches, early kick-offs, all-seater stadia, police escorts, banning orders, no alcohol on sale, more stewards, away supporters sectioned off, not to mention over 1,000 riot police … when two big firms want to meet, they will. There is no more likelihood of completely stopping or stamping out hooliganism than there is of completely stopping or stamping out crime itself! And every one of the relevant authorities fully understands this. They will never publicly admit it, though. Yet, still, they have to be seen to be tackling and addressing, organising and meeting, resolving and reassuring, blah-blah-blahing and blagging.
West Ham v Millwall in 2009 was made by the press to sound like World War III. The headlines the next day were as sensational as you would expect: ‘KICK THEM OUT’; ‘FOOTBALL BOSSES WERE URGED TO KICK WEST HAM OUT OF THE COMPETITION’; ‘1,100 RIOT POLICE TOTALLY LOST CONTROL AS BOTH FIRMS WENT ON THE RAMPAGE’; ‘ONE 44-YEAR-OLD GOT STABBED’; ‘DOZENS WERE COVERED IN BLOOD AND THIRTEEN ARRESTED ON NIGHT OF SHAME’.
Worse than all the headlines is every bandwagon-jumping politician shouting from the nearest microphone to lambast football’s hooligans – cheeky bastards. In the last few decades, you’ve taken us into The Falklands, Iraq (twice) and Afghanistan. The latter apparently is going to last 40 years. We just want a punch-up. There were no weapons of mass destruction. We just want a punch-up. Am I the only one here that can see the hypocrisy? Punch-up between two firms who want to have a go, versus war. Fucking cheek of the Government.
So what actually happened on Tuesday, 25 August 2009? Well, hardcore fans’ websites had arranged that ‘meet’ in London’s Old Street area. ‘Bring your bats – and don’t bring your kids.’ Of course it was pre-planned. This fact appeared to shock most of the relevant authorities. The two firms had planned this! Wow! Text messages, Facebook and websites was how it was done. Plus a few direct phone calls and the good old grapevine. Still going strong despite technological alternatives.
A lot of our older firm members, probably West Ham, too, made a comeback for this game. After all, we had not played each other for over four years. The only correct thing Old Bill did was rate it at a category five – the most serious risk of violence – as soon as we came out of the hat. That is where their good work ended.
West Ham never turned up for the meet. We all jumped the Tube and arrived at Upton Park station at 6.00pm. Hundreds didn’t have tickets; hundreds didn’t care; hundreds came purely for the fight. So, there is your banning order. Plus loads were probably already banned. West Ham’s firm was waiting … waiting behind police lines.
All sorts of quotes appeared in the papers after that, saying it was really nasty. They had seen nothing like this since the ‘bad old’ days of the Eighties. Hundreds of ’Wall were walking along with bottles in their hands, looking for their firm, picking a few off here and there. They didn’t want to know. Love for Millwall and hatred for West Ham are not in a tap that you can just turn on and off. Everyone was expecting it to go off big time. It never did. West Ham did not want to know us.
The main facts surrounding that day are these: the meet was arranged for Blackhorse Road, 250 Millwall; no-show from West Ham, they did not turn up for the meet; so we went to Barking looking for them; 300 Millwall at Wood Grange Park, some in contact with West Ham an hour before telling them where we would be; again, a no-show from West Ham; Rose Inn Hotel, large numbers of West Ham; over 100 got done; West Ham hid behind the Old Bill outside the ground; West Ham threatened scarfers outside the ground; West Ham stabbed a man who was with his kids; West Ham stood behind Old Bill throwing things – Danny Dyer-wannabe cunts; there were a few kick-offs and a few scuffles; 300 Millwall ran 100 West Ham outside the away turnstile; Millwall broke police lines but West Ham did not want to know; West Ham were ‘held back’ in the corner by half-a-dozen stewards; Millwall was surrounded by three-deep Old Bill in riot gear; the West Ham fans on the pitch were obviously not hooligans, they were wearing replica shirts; 25,000 West Ham, and 3,000 Millwall; the main firms never met each other on the pitch; they mugged themselves; it was the best Millwall firm for years; shame West Ham had a no show.
If West Ham had shown up at the meet it would have eclipsed anything that had ever happened before in relation to nights of hooliganism. It would have been the most infamous night in hooligan history. The West Ham no-show was a massive disappointment and a big surprise. It had all been pre-arranged away from prying eyes. And they bottled it.
Five months after that night in January 2010, the Football Association fined West Ham £115,000 for failing to control their fans at Upton Park. They were found guilty on two of four charges and had to pay a further £5,000 costs.
We were cleared of all charges.
Fifty people were charged with disorder inside and outside. The FA’s disciplinary hearing, a three-man panel chaired by a QC, found West Ham failed to ensure their fans refrained from violent, threatening, obscene and provocative behaviour, and entering the field of play. They were found not guilty of racist behaviour and throwing missiles on to the pitch. We faced the same charges, except for entering the field of play, and all were not proven. We had complained about our ticket allocation.
Our chief executive officer, Andy Ambler, said, ‘We have always maintained that we were innocent of the charges. As ever, this club condemns all misbehaviour within football stadia and works tirelessly to eradicate misconduct and to continue to change an unfair and distorted misconception of Millwall Football Club and its fans.’
Result. Four months later we won promotion through the play-offs, finally. It looked for a while like West Ham could be going down, but just about survived – spared, in more ways than one. So for the 2010/11 season, we could both so nearly have been playing each other in the Championship.